The topic of the following text is our art historical pilgrimage to see the art of Russia. And although it may seem that our intention was only to see the results of its relationship with Byzantium, that would be incorrect. The unending dialogue between the old and the new, which we saw at every corner, had an powerful impact on our aesthetic perceptions.
Our journey began on a sunny autumn afternoon at the Vienna Airport. Sixteen of us arrived in Moscow from Frankfurt at three in the morning local time. Improvised accommodation showed us two faces of Russian hospitality. On the first day, the weather was freezing but sunny. After a short journey with local transport, we stayed in a pilgrim's hostel, where we met several other members of the expedition, who came to Moscow on their own from Italy. Together, we went for a short walk around Moscow which ended with a discussion on the motifs in relief on the façade of the Stalinist house.
The next day, Russia fulfilled our expectations with snow and frost that accompanied us through the Kremlin. The majestic Cathedral of the Archangel
was the jewel of the group of Orthodox churches, living up to its name. Right there, we came across a perfect example of what Orthodox iconostasis
means. The shimmering splendor of the altar's architecture enhanced our spirits and bodies, numbed by the cold, so much that even constant warnings
from security didn't stop our discussion. Several times it turned to apparent singing of prayers, intensifying the inner experience of the
We spent the whole third day in the Tretyakov Gallery and its collections of Russian art. We had the opportunity to see one of Andrei Rublev's most
famous works, the icon of the Holy Trinity, in front of which we argued about the timelessness of icon painting production. The next day, we returned
to see the Madonna of Vladimir, placed in the church near the gallery, which continues to serve its purpose. In addition, we visited the Church of
Christ the Savior, an infamous personification of the current functioning of society, and the Pushkin Museum with a wonderful collection of
finest artwork facsimiles from around the world, including ancient mosaics, medieval and renaissance sculptures, even the bronze Bernward doors
of Hildesheim. Walking through these collections was like a stroll through an ideal art history textbook – a paradise for art historians.
At the start of the fifth day, the center of our interest was the Black Square on a white background in the
Before leaving for Novgorod, we went sightseeing for Stalinist architecture, represented by towers called the Seven Sisters, or Stalinskije
vysotki. After an overnight train ride, the monumentality of the skyscrapers was replaced with the Orthodox simplicity of Novgorod churches.
Despite its
We started the next day with an Orthodox mass, which was an invaluable experience for better understanding Russian and Orthodox identity. We were able to explore this more later in the Church of the Transfiguration, where lack of equipment revealed spaces usually hidden in churches. The overnight train journey back to Moscow was marked by real Russian food, caviar and vodka included. The reception of the composition of Rublev's icon from the Tretyakov Gallery was the last discussion of our trip. We said our final farewell to Moscow at Domodedovo Airport on the way home, through Zurich.
This pilgrimage through Russia taught us about the duality that is reflected not only in artistic expression, but in everything we were able to experience. Russia, as a nation with a somewhat complicated relationship with its own history, was a unique art historical and personal experience. We were in Moscow for nine days and it was unforgettable. Just a reminder: We did not see Lenin!
Jana Čuprová & Jana Gazdagová
(Translated by Katarína Šimová)
